Boutique Design - July/August 2014 - 56

BDwest REVIEW

out colors for more impact. In the corridors, the
neutral palette is punctuated strategically with shimmering sections of reflective silvery tiles.
GO OVER AND ABOVE

Jonsdottir planted some seeds of change by integrating
3D elements into the ceiling of Girasol, in Studio City,
Calif. Inspired by the name of the restaurant, which is
Spanish for sunflower, she wanted patrons to feel as if
they were dining inside a giant flower. Instead of just
painting florals on this broad canvas, she and her team
designed a series of white wooden petals to create a
canopy in full bloom.
For maximum impact, Jonsdottir made accent
lighting part of the ceiling art. Intertwining vines
carry tendrils of amber light from the petals to all four
corners of this cozy space.
REFINE THE ART OF INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE

With his creative materials choices for The Line
hotel in Los Angeles' Koreatown, Knibb transforms
mundane architectural elements into provocative
artworks. What looks like a soffit is actually a halfdozen layers of tee-shirts. These wardrobe staples were
also combined into the vivid blue surfacing materials
applied to portions of the lobby ceilings. Forget wallpaper. Wildflowers add texture to some of walls.
But it's his decision to return the interiors to the
building's 1960s Brutalist architectural roots that may
be the biggest trendsetter. Knibb's team stripped everything back to the concrete walls and floors as a nod to
the neighborhood's vibe and aesthetic authenticity.

CHARLES DOELL
MISTER IMPORTANT DESIGN

3

4

GULLA JONSDOTTIR
G+ GULLA JONSDOTTIR
DESIGN

BE A SCREEN STAR

Screens and room dividers rank high on the list
of design game-changers. Holtfreter and her YWS
colleagues optimized their peek-a-boo effect to both
connect and separate the various destinations within
Hakkasan at the MGM Grand Las Vegas. The first venue
to combine a nightclub with Hakkasan's international
restaurant brand, the 80,000-sq. ft., five-level space is
subdivided with non-structural walls made of wooden
lattices, metallic grids, lacy white fretwork and even cutouts with the look of marbleized surrounds. Not only
do these features reveal and conceal, they also serve as
sculptural focal points that double as very modern art.
As a twist, the designers turned the idea on its side
for the ceiling. They displayed the operator's signature blue lighting in an intricate 17-ft. cage system and
series of latticed woodwork that stretches above the
main dining room to the intimate screened VIP spaces
in the nightclub. 
For more on these projects and source lists,
visit boutiquedesign.com
56

boutiquedesign.com JULY/AUGUST 2014

SEAN KNIBB
KNIBB DESIGN CORP.

3 The tee-shirts that create this
soffit aren't just for show. The
designers sought out inspiration
from found objects, local street
style and visual snapshots of
everyday life in Koreatown for
the interiors of The Line.

4 YWS goes on the grid to create this
lattice structure shot with Hakkasan's vivid blue light as a focal
point for its first-ever nightclub/
restaurant complex in Las Vegas's
MGM Grand. The space was the
former home of a Studio 54.

TAMMY HOLTFRETER
YWS DESIGN &
ARCHITECTURE

C O U R T E S Y H A R D R O C K I N T E R N AT I O N A L ( P E C O T T E ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F C H A R L E S D O E L L ( D O E L L ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F G + G U L L A J O N S D O T T I R D E S I G N ( J O N S D O T T I R ) ;
A L E X A N D E R M C M I L L A N ( K N I B B ) ; C O U R T E S Y Y W S D E S I G N & A R C H I T E C T U R E ( H O LT F R E T E R ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F K N I B B D E S I G N C O R P. ( T H E L I N E ) ; E R I C K A B I K ( H A K K A S A N )

JAY PECOTTE
HARD ROCK INTERNATIONAL
http://www.boutiquedesign.com http://www.boutiquedesign.com
Boutique Design - July/August 2014

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